Edgebrook Lutheran Church, Chicago 1 July 2018 + Lectionary 13B (Pentecost 6) Mark 5.21-43 “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore…” Those are, of course, Judy Garland’s, aka Dorothy Gale’s, famous words from The Wizard of Oz as she takes her first steps in Munchkinland. Those words have also become somewhat of …
Lutheran Church of the Cross, Arlington Heights 17 June 2018 + Lectionary 11B (Pentecost 4) Mark 4.26-34 When I was growing up, I remember this giant turquoise planter in my grandma’s backyard, nestled right in the corner of the fence. Every year, it would blossom into the most gorgeous morning glories. They never just grew …
Continue reading A Sermon about How the Kingdom of God Is Like an Invasive Species
Lutheran Church of the Cross, Arlington Heights 10 June 2018 + Lectionary 10B (Pentecost 3) Mark 3.20-35 Well, that escalated quickly. In one moment, Jesus and his disciples are about to sit down for a quiet meal at home. And then, all of a sudden, Jesus is confronted by an angry mob, made up of …
Continue reading A Sermon about Casting Out Demons: Lectionary 10 / Pentecost 3
This week, I was invited to preach at the weekly Eucharist at the Churchwide Office ("headquarters") of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), where I have also recently started a position as Interim Coordinator for Global Service Events with the Global Mission Unit of the ELCA. Pictured above, from left to right, is me, …
Continue reading A Sermon about Sabbath, Life, and Liberation: Lectionary 9 / Pentecost 2
St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Midlothian 27 May 2018 + The Holy Trinity John 3.1-17 This is a weird day. In the first place, it’s the day before Memorial Day — but that’s not the weird part. It’s weird because Memorial Day always feels like a strange weekend in the church, often marked by a noticeable …
Continue reading Love Is the Way: A Sermon for the Feast of the Holy Trinity
Lutheran Church of the Cross, Arlington Heights 13 May 2018 + Easter 7B John 17.6-19 After my first year of seminary, I moved to Cleveland to spend the summer as a hospital chaplain — just one of the many steps along the way to becoming a pastor. This chaplaincy internship is officially called CPE: Clinical …
Continue reading A Sermon on Being Prayed For: Easter 7/Ascension
Grace Lutheran Church, Lily Lake 6 May 2018 + Easter 6B John 15.9-17 “I am a failure at prayer” …so writes Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor. And, I have to confess: So am I. Like Taylor, I have more books on prayer and spiritual practices in my home library than I know what to do …
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Chicago 17 March 2018 + Lent 5B Jeremiah 31.31-34; John 12.20-33 Wakanda Forever! (Not to be confused with the Illinois suburb, Wauconda.) It’s the rallying cry of a remote African nation at the heart of the recent theatrical blockbuster Black Panther. Theirs is a civilization technologically advanced beyond that of any …
Augustana Chapel at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago 5 March 2018 + Lent 3B John 2.13-22; Exodus 20.1-17 What does this mean? I can still hear those words as if I were hearing them in my childhood confirmation classroom. “What does this mean?” “We are to fear, love, and trust God above all …
Continue reading Covenant, Promise, Presence: A Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Northbrook 28 January 2018 + Reconciling in Christ Sunday Matthew 19.10-15 (NRSV); Acts 8.26-40 (Inclusive Bible) So there I was, sitting in the chapel at St. Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, California. It was opening worship, and the liturgy continued with a litany, naming significant events and ordinations in …
Continue reading A Sermon for Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Sunday
Pastor Josh Evans 